JAN 2013 ISSUE 20

Contents

13

Background of cover picture:Solar panels on the administrative building, SIMS Lonavala

07

21

05 Preventing Water Seepage Through Air Vent Head: The Tightness Test

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

06 Repairing a Rudder:Through a Hole in the Floating Dock

DOWN THE MEMORY LANE

09 Have You Checked the Checklist? A Near Grounding Experience in a Channel

SHARING EXPERIENCE

07

101112

17

Know Your Ship: Pure Car Carrier/ Pure Car Truck Carrier (Part I)Marine Casualties: Dealing with the UnexpectedReminiscing Sail TrainingEffect of Power Factor on Generator Operations (Part II)Water Washing of Inert Gas Fans

KNOWLEDGE

1515

Damage to Motor CouplingResponses for Issue 19 (Oct 2012): Boiler Feed Pump Bearing Failure

CASE STUDY

17 Photography

ARTS

08

13

21

23

23

2525

SIMS Receives DG Shipping Approval for ECDIS Training CourseSIMS is a Role Model for Maritime Institutes in India: Director General of Shipping LaudsESM Officers’ Seminar 2012 - Back to Basics: Importance of FundamentalsMaritime Professionals From Japan Praise SIMS, Lonavala: “Impressive, Surpassed Expectations”SIMS Ex-cadets Joined ESM-Managed Fleet During the Last QuarterInter-house Cross Country ChampionshipSIMS Cadet Emerges Victorious in Navy Week: Lonavala Run

CAMPUS NEWS

161819

Crossword PuzzleMeet the Karate KaThe Phenomenal Power of the Sun: Put to use at SIMS, Lonavala

CADETS’ DIARY

0304

Editorial NoteMessage from Dr. G Raghuram

JAN 2013 ISSUE 20

www.samundra.com

Address: SIMS, LONAVALAVillage Takwe KhurdMumbai-Pune Highway (NH4)Lonavala, Dist. Pune, MaharashtraPin 410405, India Tel: + 91 2114 399 500 Fax: + 91 2114 399 600

Address: SIMS, MUMBAI5th Floor, Sai Commercial BuildingBKS Devshi Marg, Govandi Station Road, Govandi East Mumbai, PIN- 400088 India Tel: + 91 22 6799 3545Fax: + 91 22 6799 3546

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Editorial Director: Sikha Singh

Editorial Assistant: Capt. Rajesh SubramanianKathiravan s/o Shanmuga S

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Samundra Spirit is a quarterly in-house magazine produced by Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies (SIMS) for private circulation.

Our Editorial Team wants to hear from you!

If you wish to submit any feedbacks and/or contributions, feel free to write to the Editor at: samundraspirit@samundra.com

*Please note we reserve the right to publish your letters/articles or an edited version of it in all print & electronic media.

Editorial Note“The creative process is also the most terrifying part because you do not know ex-actly what’s going to happen or where it is going to lead. You do not know what new dangers and challenges you’ll find. It takes an enormous amount of internal security to begin with the spirit of adventure, discovery and creativity. Without doubt, you have to leave the comfort zone of base camp and confront an entirely new and unknown wilderness.”

- Management Guru Stephen Covey

To think outside the box, be creative, be innovative, be fearless, and be constructive- all well said and well accepted advice. But how?

This issue of Samundra Spirit carries answer to these and many other practical issues brought in by our seasoned seafarers from ESM and SIMS from their personal experiences.

That creativity is not a property of exceptional people but rather an exceptional quality of anybody who cares to take the difficult road is brought home by the two absorbing stories of Marine Superintendent Anant Sharma and Technical Support Manager Mr. M. Syed. We are sure they would inspire our young cadets to face any challenging situations with an open mind and without fear.

On the other hand, what we cannot neglect is going back to basics and ignore the importance of getting to the fundamental in whatever we do. SIMS, Lonavala conducted a seminar on this theme for the ESM officers and we have included some of the interesting learning from the seminar presented by veterans in the industry.

The last quarter kept the entire SIMS staff, particularly the Lonavala campus completely packed with events and activities - only parts of which are included in this issue through vari-ous articles and reports. The institute was visited by a number of dignitaries from India and across the globe who have left behind their impressions in the visitors’ note which are indeed inspiring words for all in SIMS and those associated with SIMS someway or other. As usual we have included some of those comments in the inside back cover of the magazine.

The last quarter was also the season of exam fever for all in Lonavala campus as two batches of cadets from Nautical and Engineering sections appeared in their final examinations. How-ever, in spite of that we saw some good articles from our cadet writers that includes one on the renewable energy of solar power used in the campus. Well done!

As we encourage our cadets to be more inquisitive, imaginative and creative, let me quote a favourite quote of mine:

“Think left and think rightAnd think low and think high.Oh, the thinks you can think upIf only you try!”

- Dr. Theodoe Seuss Geisel, famous American writer of children books

This is indeed a matter of great satisfaction and pride for the entire editorial team of Samun-dra Spirit that we have completed five years of publication with this issue. We do hope our efforts and endeavour have contributed positively to the growth of the next generation of seafarers, however small way.

I do hope, the issue will continue to evoke interest from the young readers as well as from those in the industry who find our pages of Samundra Spirit worth flipping through…

Till we meet in our April issue, be safe and be happy…

15th January 2013

SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 3

Message from Dr. G Raghuram

SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 4

Dr. G RaghuramVice Chancellor

Indian Maritime University (IMU)

Dear Friends,

My first visit to SIMS left a powerful impression on me as an academic campus, built in a spacious manner with appropriate architecture. I can’t but envy those who have an opportu-nity to study here.

Having spent nearly six months as the Vice Chancellor of the Indian Maritime University, I thought I would share with you my continuous reflection of what maritime really stands for.

In my view, it stands for four domains:

Firstly, Maritime supports Trade. This brings in the need for merchant navy, ship building, port management, warehousing and hinterland evacuation, i.e. spanning the entire supply chain

Secondly, Maritime provides Resources. These include off shore (oil), resources in the ocean floor and marine biology.

Thirdly, Maritime forms the Borders. This implies support for navy, coast guard and other institutes that provide security.

Finally, Maritime needs Sustainability, Phenomena such as a global warming, carbon impact, sustainable resource, exploitation and coastal zone management etc need emphasis.

The above could be viewed as a broad agenda for the Indian Maritime University.

The ocean constitutes 75% of the earth, making maritime extremely important. I would hope that each one of the students of SIMS develops a perspective based on the above for a holistic appreciation of the maritime domain.

I wish you all very well as you make your future.

Normal position test 1 and test 2 40° position test 1 and test 2

Fig. 3

Screen with wire mesh

Base to be fitted on the pipe

Lifted float sitted on seal

Entry of water from outside

Screen with wire mesh

Base to be fitted on the pipe

The path of escape of air from the tank to the atmosphere

Float

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENTSAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 205

when the sea water gushes into the air vent head, the float gets lifted due to buoyancy and sits on the seat to prevent the free entry of wa-ter into the tanks as shown in Fig. 3.

ACD has to be weathertight and each device needs to be surveyed and type tested at the manufacturer’s work place or other acceptable location according to the classification soci-ety’s practice. Along with the measurement of the pressure drop versus the rate of volume flow of water, the ACD has to be type tested for the four different configurations of tightness test as follows:

Configuration 1. The automatic closing de-vice has to be submerged in normal position, slightly below the water surface at a velocity of approximately 4 meters per minute and then returned to the original position immediately. The quantity of leakage has to be recorded.

Air vent head or automatic closing device is fitted on the air-pipes as required by the rules of Load Line Conventions, regulation 20. Automatic Closing Devices (ACDs) are type tested as per IACS UR-P3. ACDs are fitted on ballast tanks, bunker tanks and double bottom tanks. The size of automatic closing device depends upon the tank ca-pacities and usually is in the range from 2 inch (50 Nominal Bore) to 10 inch (250 NB).

Air vent head (Fig.1) is an automatic closing device which allows the air or liquid to prevent excessive pressure or vacuum coming on the tank. However, it prevents the free entry of wa-ter from outside into the tank.

ACD has main components as body, float, float guide, and screen with wire mesh. The float moves up and down on a guide. Normally, it is resting on the lower position, allowing the air from the tank to escape to atmosphere from the opening on the top. It is clearly shown in Fig. 2.

In a seaway, especially during rough weather,

Configuration 2. The ACD has to be sub-merged in normal position slightly below the water surface at a velocity of approximately 8 meters per minute and the ACD is to be kept

in submerged position for not less than 5 minutes. The quantity of the leakage has to be measured.

Configuration 3. The automatic closing de-vice has to be submerged at an inclination of 40° position, slightly below the water surface at a velocity of approximately 4 meters per minute and then returned to the original position immediately. The quantity of leakage has to be recorded

Configuration 4. The ACD has to be sub-merged at an inclination of 40° position slightly below the water surface at a veloc-ity of approximately 8 meters per minute

and the ACD is to be kept in submerged posi-tion for not less than 5 minutes. The quantity of the leakage has to be measured.

As per type test-P3, the maximum allowable leakage per cycle shall not exceed 2ml/mm of nominal diameter of inlet pipe during any individual test. That means if the pipe is 50mm in diameter, ACD should not allow more than 100ml of water during any of the above men-tioned four tests.

Apart from this tightness test, the non-metallic float has to be tested under impact test and com-pression loading test. These testing procedures are also mentioned in the UR-P3 test procedure.

Preventing Water Seepage Through Air Vent Head The Tightness Test

Abhijit NalwadeResearch AssociateSIMS, Lonavala

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

DOWN THE MEMORY LANE SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 6

Repairing a RudderThrough a Hole in the Floating Dock

Extremely weird - but yes! That was the case that took place in real life years back for Mr. Syed Mohamadullah who explains how thinking out of the box is what is nec-essary for a technical superintendent in his day-to-day job.

A semi-refrigerated LPG vessel was fixed for a routine intermediate docking at the Port of Spain, Trinidad. This was the only other dock available in the vessel’s trading area, as all the other dry docks were fully booked. As the company had experienced a few dock-ings of other vessels in this shipyard, owners did eventually give approval for this docking although aware that the atmosphere in the shipyard is rather laid back, as the culture is such that ‘nothing can be that urgent that it cannot wait’. Trinidad’s main source of in-come, at that time, was as a tourist destina-tion and a haven for pleasure boat owners, as one could see from the various types of yachts that were moored around the ship-yard’s location.

The vessel entered the floating dock safely and the normal routine jobs were checked and assessed, and work was started on the hull and in the engine room. However, on taking clearances of the rudder, it was noted that the lower pintle bearing clearance was more than the allowable limit and hence, it needed to be replaced. The renewal of the lower pintle bearing required the rudder to be detached from the rudder stock. This then be-came the job that required the major attention of all of us involved at the shipyard. For the

replacement of the bearing, one of the main considerations was to procure the synthetic bearing material (Thordon) from Canada at short notice. After a lot of hectic activities and phone calls from my superiors, owners as well as the suppliers, an action plan was agreed upon with the shipyard that the rudder job will be getting priority over everything else.

For once, the shipyard deployed person-nel for the job and work on the rudder was started with cutting of the cover plates to get access to the rudder stock nut. The work was progressing quite well and the next morning when the rudder stock nut was removed and rudder slowly lowered to the floating dock floor, it dawned on us that the rudder stock could not be pulled out. This was because the keel blocks were too low in height. Here, we had two obvious alternatives to work with. One was to fit the rudder back, undock the vessel, get the shipyard to raise the heights of the keel blocks before the vessel re-dock or to cut the floating dry dock inner bottom tank top and internals and then take out the rudder - a drastic idea to start with!

With limited time to spare, I approached the top managers of the shipyard who were luck-ily open for discussion and various options for a solution. After numerous and extensive discussions, they were convinced that the second alternative was the right way to go, keeping in mind the time, cost and other, logistical factors.

Once the ‘go ahead’ was given by the man-

Syed MohamadullahTechnical Support ManagerESM, Singapore

agement, the naval architect, along with the superintendent, marked out the location on the dock floor and the transverse members to be cut. Gas cutters were deployed to start on this work. Soon there was a gaping hole in the floating dock floor. This was very unique, as no one had ever expected to see the internals of a floating dock. What was revealed and sur-prised everyone was to see that the condition of the floating dock internals (the ballast tank) was not as good as was expected. The preva-lent wastage of steel, paint condition and silt-ing was of concern too. At that point of time, my top priority was to somehow get a proper job done on the rudder and sail out in time.

The rudder was then taken out by lowering it at an angle into the now opened up ballast tank of the floating dock. The replacement of the lower pintle bearing was carried out with-out any glitches and done on time.

We all had a huge sigh of relief when the rud-der was finally connected back to the rudder stock and the rudder nut tightened. New dock floor, as well as internal transverse members, were then welded back, tested and vessel was all set to sail, as per schedule and cost well within the budget.

All the mental anguish of past days & the end-less nights of phone calls spent in trying to convince my superiors & the owners to agree to this unconventional method of work (Trini-dad time is 12 hours behind Singapore time) finally seemed worthwhile as the main objec-tive of a safe & economic dry-docking repair job had been achieved. To my knowledge, this was also a first time for the shipyard manage-ment to have taken such a bold step to create disassembly space for the rudder by cutting a hole on the dock floor.

Our opinion of the shipyard changed as they were open to different ideas and had been helpful when it mattered most. This was an experience of a kind that one would not forget in a hurry especially if attending a dry dock.

The lesson learnt was to constantly think out of the box, focus on carrying a job success-fully and in a cost-effective way with the safety of the personnel who will eventually sail on the ship as the top priority. Its double benefit to the yard was that they became aware of the ac-tual corrosion of the dock structure and could renew the wasted sections well in time for making the yard fit for the purpose too.

A floating dock Source: http://www.flickr.com

KNOWLEDGESAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 7

We have come a long way from seeing only the ubiquitous Ambassador, Premier Pad-mini and standard cars on Indian roads. A car ride on the increasingly crowded roads of our cities will readily provide you a glimpse into all the world’s leading brands of automobiles, from swanky BMWs, Mer-cedes, Jaguars and Lexus to Hyundai and other lesser known brands. But, have you ever wondered as to how these imported cars from farflung and distant shores are brought to Indian ports in a pristine condi-tion?

These automobiles are transported around the world on car carriers. These large car car-riers are commonly called ‘Pure Car Carriers (PCCs)’ or Pure Car Truck Carriers (PCTCs). PCCs have built-in ramps or land based ramps, which allow the cars to be “rolled on” and “rolled off” the vessel when in port. It is sig-nificant that a Ro/Ro’s stern ramps can serve all of the vessel’s decks. While smaller ferries that operate across rivers and other short dis-tances often have built-in ramps, the term Ro/Ro is generally reserved for ocean-going ves-sels. Roll on - off simply means that the car or truck is driven on (roll-on) the ship from the loading bay through the ramp while loading and driven off (roll-off) similarly while discharg-ing in a discharge port.

HistoryThe first Ro/Ro ships were ferries carrying steam trains across rivers. One of the earli-est was Firth of Forth ferry in Scotland, which started in 1851 and operated nearly forty years until the completion of the Forth Bridge.

Before 1950s, it was a difficult task to carry automobiles onboard ships. Automobiles had their gas tanks emptied and their batteries dis-connected before being hoisted into the ship’s hold, chocked and secured. Only the wealthi-est people could afford to move a car this way.

Later, in 1957, the US military issued a con-tract to the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Chester, PA for the construction of a motorized vehicle carrier called “Comet”. The ship was unique, addressing the problem of moving cars across the ocean in several new ways. This ship is still afloat as part of the US ‘Ready Reserve Fleet’.

Since 1970, the market for exporting and im-porting cars has increased dramatically, and the hence the number and type of Ro/Ros. In 1973, world’s first Pure Car Carrier- ‘European Highway’ was built, which carried 4,200 auto-mobiles. In present days, the cargo carrying capacity has increased dramatically.

One of the world’s largest PCTC vessels, the MV Tysla, has a capacity of 5900 cars and has fixed and three hoistable decks. MV Tysla is 265 meters long and has a cargo volume of 138,000 cubic meters.

ConstructionConstruction of car carriers are normally limited to Panama canal requirements. Today’s PCC and PCTC are distinctive ships with a box-like superstructure running the entire length and breadth of the hull, fully enclosing the cargo. They typically have a stern ramp and a side ramp for dual loading of thousands of vehicles and extensive automatic fire control systems.

The PCTC has liftable decks to increase verti-cal clearance as well as heavier decks for “high and heavy” cargo. As an example, a 6,500 units PCC with 12 decks can have three decks, which can take cargo up to 150 tonnes, with liftable panels to increase clearance from 1.7 m to 6.7 m on some decks. Lifting decks are provided to accommodate higher cargo.

Structurally, a car carrier is similar to a gen-eral cargo carrier Ro/Ro ferries, but has more decks (i.e. multiple decks Ro/Ro carrier). A PCC has different load carrying capacity for different decks. The upper most decks are de-signed for a low uniform deck load correspond-ing to private cars, while some lower decks are designed for a higher load and intended for buses, trucks, etc. Movable decks may be lo-cated above the decks with high-specified load.

Movable ramps are ramps inside the car decks, which are basically set as per the load plan. The movable decks are the driving path, wherein cars are loaded / discharged from one deck to another.

Liftable decks are panels wherein the decks are lifted horizontally by means of a deck lifter, which is used to lift the panels to suit the height of cargo which are loaded. There are normally three positions for liftable decks - Normal, Mid-dle and Upper. The lifts are positioned and locked by chocks to prevent the liftable decks from falling down.

These decks are liftable or hoistable with the help of scissor lift or internal jigger winch re-spectively. Jigger winch is hydraulically oper-ated, which can be used for operating ramp or internal car decks. It is similar to a moor-ing winch (for laying the wires for external car ramp) or hydraulic “ram/ piston” arrangement

Know Your Ship Pure Car Carrier/ Pure Car Truck Carrier (Part I)

MV TYSLA at sea

Photo shows how the cargo is loaded/ discharged from these vessels

Movable ramp

KNOWLEDGE SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 8

on Cranes (For internal decks).

The load capacity of movable decks is similar to upper decks. The decks are supported by pillars and there are longitudinal girders, con-necting the pillars.

Structural designs for car carriersThere are two different structural design con-cepts for car carriers, i.e. conventional rigid deck design and hinged deck design. In a conventional car carrier design, the vertical side webs are in line with deck transverses. This would mean that transverse forces on the decks will induce bending of the deck trans-verses. Consequently, the frame section (ver-tical side and transverse deck girder) is rigid, when exposed to transverse forces, compared to the hinged deck design. A considerable frac-tion of the racking moment created above the bulkhead deck (freeboard deck) is then mainly to be carried by the frame section itself.

A hinged deck car carrier design has the verti-cal side frame not in line with the deck trans-verse girder. This means that no bending mo-ment is induced in the transverse deck girder when the deck is exposed to transverse forces. The vertical side frame would then deform as a cantilever beam supported at the freeboard deck and is only able to carry a reduced portion of the racking force on the transverse frame. The bow region and the stern are then activat-ed and contribute as racking constraining struc-ture together with other main structure such as engine and stairway casings, deep racking web and strengthened ventilation trunks.

Jitendra NathTechnical Superintendent ESM, Singapore

Typical deck plan for hinged deck design car carrier

Typical deck plan for conventional car carrierSIMS Receives DG Shipping Approval for ECDIS Training CourseSIMS, Lonavala has received full ap-proval from DG Shipping, Government of India for its Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) train-ing program as part of the first batch of institutes running the course in India. Incidentally, the in-principle approval of the course was existing since SIMS pre-pared the course basis the IMO model course 1.27 (2010) rev in 2010.

The training facility in SIMS, Lonavala holds 12 ECDIS stations, each of which is equipped with a MARIS ECDIS 900, a ship

visual-cum-maneuovering computer and radar-cum-navigational equipment com-puter. Trainees are taken through various stages of the ECDIS training as prescribed by IMO model course guidelines.

SIMS has been conducting the course un-der approval from other flag authorities in-cluding DNV (Norway), MPA (Singapore), LICSR (Liberia) and Marshal Island Registry.

It may be mentioned here that SIMS, Lonavala is the only set-up in India which conforms close-ly to IMO model course 1.27 (2010) rev.

CAMPUS NEWS

An elastic hinge arrangement between the vertical web and the deck girders increases the ability of the ordinary side web frames to sustain transverse racking deformations of the upper hull. As a consequence, the side webs are then normally more slender than for a conventional design. However, the main trans-verse racking constraining members have to be increased in strength to carry the racking moment.

The car decks are usually fitted with lashing points and internal ramps that can be adjusta-ble to other decks, and are closed at sea. Low-er and upper car decks are normally used for loading cars and intermediate car decks can be adjusted to accommodate pick-ups trucks or high-ceilinged vehicles.

Watertight and Fire Integrity on PCC/ PCTCOn PCTC or PCC ships for providing water-tight integrity, compartments are designed with bulkheads which are closed by watertight doors in case of flooding. Should flooding oc-curs in one particular hold, the complete hold is isolated by this watertight door.

For protection, car carriers are divided into zones like A zone, B zone etc which are also designed accordingly in the fire detection and fighting system. Usually the fire zones are the gas tight zones, to avoid spread of flamma-ble gas/fire from one zone to another. These zones are patrolled at regular intervals as per night patrol schedule.

The second part will be continued in the next issue…

Scissor lift

Water tight door in hold

View of cargo hold

SHARING EXPERIENCESAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 209

The 32,250 Tons DWT, Thailand-flagged, product tanker commanded by Capt. Anant Sharma had just completed loading cargo to her draft limits at the Thai port Map Ta Phut sometime in the year 2010.

A routine job, a routine checklist filling and rou-tine paper work, manoeuvres for the vessel awaited for her to safely sail out of the port and into the main stream to the sea.

However, even such routine and simple situa-tion turned into a complete nightmare and chal-lenge of a lifetime experience for Capt. Sharma who recalls this experience three years later while sitting at the desk of a Marine Superin-tendent at ESM, Singapore office. Here’s his cliffhanger experience narrated for the benefit of the upcoming generation of seafarers from SIMS.

Upon completion of the departure paper work, I joined the pilot on the bridge and called for sta-tions fore and aft. Soon thereafter, we cast off all our moorings and unberthed from the jetty with the assistance of two tugs.

Once off the jetty, the tugs were cast off and vessel proceeded under her own power. To counter the current in the channel, the vessel’s speed was increased to 6 knots. The channel in question was a mere 250 meters in breadth, with shallow patches on either sides of it. Obvi-ously, an area to be navigated with utmost cau-tion even with the pilot on board!

As soon as we entered the channel, the duty officer brought to our notice a sudden fall in engine’s RPM. The engine room was con-tacted immediately and the chief engineer re-ported that he is looking into the matter, but “by the looks of it, there might be some time before the engine can be used” he cautioned. Upon hearing this, the pilot immediately threw in the towel, “captain, you have the con and I no longer can help you!”

Not that I had ever relegated my command to him, I told the pilot that the con is indeed with me, but requested him to keep me advised of the local navigational hazards in the vicinity.

Through the pilot, I called for immediate tug assistance from the port control. However to my utter dismay, I was advised that the tugs can reach our vessel only after 30 minutes! Luckily for us the vessel was equipped with a bow thruster. We focused on keeping the ves-sel as close to the center of the channel as possible.

Both anchor and after stations were called. The chief officer reported that the anchors were ready to let go, however since we were constantly struggling to maintain our position safely in the middle of the channel, we pru-dently decided to wait for the tugs to arrive. The half hour, which seemed like eternity for us, the tugs arrived and we managed to make fast the tugs with vessel’s stern just about 10

Have You Checked the Checklist? A Near Grounding Experience in a Channel

meters from the channel buoy!

Looking back, it really helped that we have had a drill simulating a similar incident just a few days ago and the fruits of the drill were all to see. The onboard team worked just like a well-oiled machinery, with each member involved knowing his precise role under such a situa-tion.

Meantime, I had to hold off the scores of phone calls from the shore officers that kept buzzing the satcom. Instead, I informed the DPA very briefly of the vessel about our situation and requested him to hold any communication till the situation was at ease. I was happy to get the full cooperation from the DPA and the shore management by allowing me to fully concen-trate on the crisis in hand by not insisting on unnecessary information and report.

The tugs helped us manoeuvre the vessel out of the channel and into safer waters, where we duly anchored and started to investigate the fault with the main engine. Our investigation revealed that the engineer of the watch had bypassed the draining of the service tank for the main engine, which resulted in water en-tering the main engine and thereby its failure. Obviously, a consequence of overlooking the departure check list as a form of short cut.

Although the company procedure had clearly dictated that the main engine fuel oil service tanks were to be drained during each watch so that the service tank was free of any water to prevent it from entering the main engine fuel system, the watchkeeping engineer chose to cut short the procedures on his own sweet will. It could also be due to the complacency had set in due to the extended port stay prior to departure during such periods when the ship’s movement is more or less steady, the suspend-ed water settles down. That’s precisely the reason, the draining of service tank is specifi-cally included in the pre-departure checklist to avoid main engine failure as a consequence.

The big lesson learnt here was indeed to stop any tendency or urge to tick off the checklists on board without actually verifying the items. Any such behaviour must be corrected by pa-tiently educating and training of the junior staff as they at times do not necessary understand the ramifications of missing out on a seemingly innocuous item on the checklist or have limited overview and awareness of the situation aris-ing out of such an omission.

Capt. Anant SharmaDeputy Marine SuperintendentESM, Singapore

KNOWLEDGE SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 10

Marine CasualtiesDealing with the Unexpected

Casualties tend to occur when least expect-ed, i.e., when people have their guards down and when it happens, all you have to rely is your training, knowledge and experience, the equipment available and the people around you. This is what Mr. Andew Gray of Law firm Hill Dickinson, Singapore, emphasised while presenting his paper to the ESM sen-ior officers at Lonavala in November, 2012.

A former Royal Navy deck officer and an Eng-lish solicitor, Mr. Gray is an experienced casu-alty investigator, who urged the mariners that they also need to be aware of and prepare for the legal issues arising from such situation.

Following report is based on Mr. Gray’s pres-entation.

The highest single cause of marine casualty as identified in the investigation of Mr. Gray is due to wreck/ stranded or aground, followed by collision (involving another vessel) and third by contact (i.e with harbour wall etc.) However, machinery damage or failure, including lost rudder, fouled propeller etc far exceeds all of them. Leading chart for the reason behind marine casualty.

The investigators have observed that there is a huge gulf between the best and the worst ship-managers in terms of quality of operations, and disastrous result could be traced to the poor training of ship’s officers and ratings. Other fac-tors as indicated from numerous investigations to a casualty are:• Recruitment issues - due diligence not ex-

ercised giving rise to legal implications.• Lack of experience of the officers and inap-

propriate roles during emergencies taken

by them.• Over reliance on technology by the navigat-

ing officers - forgetting (or never learning) the basics, e.g. relative velocity, parallel indexing, visual bearings and radar ranges.

• Tick box mentality for filling checklists - solution was to make it appropriate, simple and effective.

• Lack of sufficient time for hand over and time for familiarisation for the new joiners on the ship.

• Assumption of ability - It was assumed by senior officers that an officer was capable of the duties given to him by virtue of him holding the STCW certification.

• Lack of supervision - Senior officers did not make sufficient efforts to supervise their junior officers and confirm whether he re-ally was capable and confident, before he could be trusted to be left with independent charge.

• Master on the bridge – invariably he was called (if at all) when it was too late. And of course sometimes even the best make mistakes!

• While preventing these is the concern for all management companies, from the legal view, it is necessary that all managers and the senior management on board are aware and adequately trained on handling such crisis in a professional manner.

How the master and crew, and indeed own-ers/ managers, deal with an emergency situa-tion, depend on a large extent on how well- trained and mentally prepared they were to remain alert and focus on not only handling the crisis but also to record and keep evi-dence for future investigation. A professional manager will ensure the following:• Shore training and that the shore staff are

well qualified as well as had received train-ing in emergency drills, carried out periodi-cal drills and were ready and confident of the requirements.

• The manuals had clear procedures on vari-

ous emergencies, specified which drills and the frequency needed to be exercised by ship’s crew. Clear and specific duties for all emergencies (such as collision, grounding, fire, etc.) were provided for all crew mem-bers and taken up during the drills. The senior shipboard officers indeed carried out the drills thoroughly with a clear objec-tive to educate the crew and incorporated lessons learnt from each of such drills into the subsequent ones. The crew were made to use and familiarise thoroughly with the emergency and lifesaving equipment and were confident in using them. Regular drills instilled discipline in the crew to tackle the emergencies calmly and in a planned and disciplined manner.

• The officers and crew had taken the trou-ble to learn about the ship and knew about emergency equipment, their locations, cor-rect usage, etc. in order to use the appropri-ate equipment timely and confidently.

• There was decisive leadership qualities dis-played both from ship and shore.

In the event of emergencies, the immediate ac-tions required to be taken are usually clearly set out in the company’s Safety Management System (Integrated Management Systems in ESM’s case). Once the nature of the emer-gency is determined, alarm is raised and crew mustered to ensure that all have been account-ed for – a planned response needs to be un-dertaken. Essentially, a lot will depend on the leadership and clear internal communication to disseminating information, and providing clear instructions on emergency response plan.

It is very evident that the first ten minutes of any incident/ casualty is very crucial for successfully dealing with the situation.

Lessons learnt from a well coordinated re-sponse:A well-trained and professionally-led crew can and will respond well to a serious incident. This starts with the company’s safety management system and culture and it continues with solid leadership onboard by the senior officers. On-board training and drills pay off. It is important that the drills on the ship are properly planned and executed and the ship’s senior officers walk the talk.

Everyone must realise and act on the premise that the ability to deal with serious emergen-cies is literally a matter of life and death, of losing or saving people, the ship and car-go. Once matters are under control and the damage begins to be assessed, there are likely to be large claims.

The legal issues are invariably extensive and complex and the claims arising from a major casualty can take years, or even decades in the case of the Titanic, to resolve.

Mr. Andew Gray of Law firm Hill Dickinson

KNOWLEDGESAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 2011

Having spent a short few days in the 1950s as my first voyage at sea, onboard a two- masted schooner and coming from a family where both grandfathers had long sea voy-age experience in full rigged ships, I have gathered a collection of photographs of some of these magnificent craft that are still sailing our seas - often with passage paying students onboard and sometimes catering for the less able amongst us, for adventure and character building life skills.

As a good source of information about these, it is well worth searching the internet at - http://www.sailtraininginternational.org/vessels/da-tabase where much more information can be found.

One starting point to understand about sailing craft is the difference between fore and aft as compared with square rig of sail plan used. Generally speaking, the fore and aft rig is found in sloop and schooner short sea routes where some ease is available for a small crew to work ship upwind, tacking through 90 degrees port to starboard and back, before loosing sheets and reaching beam on to the fastest point of sail, or even fully loosened to run downwind.

Square sails are more of use for the large barque, barquentine and full ship rigs associ-ated with long haul down wind or broad reach sailing, sometimes doing 16 knots with a fair wind and an even sea. This was the trade of the big crew old timers sailing south from Brit-ain and North Europe; taking stores at Cape

Town then run-ning the East-ings down to South Australia; loading grain and setting off in the Roaring Forties for Cape Horn and the hard northbound leg through the South Atlantic to the Caribbean and the Gulf

Stream to home.

That was a voyage for hard men with strong mind and body and every finger a marline spike!

There were two watches, port and starboard, sometimes all hands on deck and many chanc-es to broach under full canvas, bursting the hatches and flooding the holds before founder-ing ship.

In the 1950s, there was a sad loss of a square rigger in the event of the German ship ‘Pamir’ sinking in the north Atlantic with almost all hands, including about 50 training cadets go-ing down to ‘Davy Jones Locker’ - some in-ternet surfing will tell more of that event and of the sail rig of ships like the ‘Pamir’ that had four masts and could carry as many as 38 sails when in full rig and light weather. Naturally, this

Capt. Olaf OlsenAdvisory ConsultantSIMS, Lonavala

great amount of canvas would be reduced with crew aloft furling the ‘royals’, topgallants’ and ‘topsails’, down eventually to storm rig with ‘jib’, ‘main course’ and ‘mizzen’ only. More internet research can identify these sail names.

The ‘Pamir’ was really the end of the ocean going ships trading under sail although smaller junk, dhow and traders such as the South Pa-cific craft continue to this day, but even these are not in the scale of yesteryear.

Although the ‘Pamir’ was so unfortunate, sail training continues and nowadays includes some military naval and in a few examples, merchant ship cadet introduction to seafaring.As already mentioned however, the great number of voyages are undertaken by ships and people going to sea for the adventure and experience of the more elemental lifestyles of being part of a crew under the command of expert long time served professional mariners.

It is often an opinion held by modern merchant motor ship sailors that the sailing ‘fraternity’ are a nuisance bunch of romantic amateurs and while that may be true on the rare occasion, the great majority of sailing ship staff are hard, well-practised and able professionals who ex-emplify the best of seagoing skills.

When all is said, the seafaring skills and sail-ing ships are the remarkable fleet to be recom-mended for further interest and research when considering the saying:

‘Going down to the sea in ships.’

Reminiscing Sail Training

Exertion of torque on rotor due to starter field

KNOWLEDGE SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 12

Deepak HargudeElectrical InstructorSIMS, Lonavala

In our previous issue, we understood what active and reactive power was, along with the fundamentals essential for satisfactory parallel operations of AC generators. Simi-larly, requirements concerning automatic voltage regulators and speed governors were also covered. In this second part, we will understand the effect of kW load on generator, parallel operation of AC genera-tor as well as how to do load sharing.

Effect of KW load on generator• When the kW load is applied, the load

draws current from the stator windings and a rotating magnetic field at the same speed as the rotor is produced.

• The stator field which lies across the ro-tor field exerts a magnetic to pull the rotor backwards and slows down the rotor. This reduction in speed is detected by the gover-nor to adjust fuel supply.

• The fuel supply is adjusted until the fre-quency is stable and the alternator meets the KW load demand with constant system frequency.

The governor responds to change of KW load to keep the system frequency constant.

Governor: For perfect accuracy, the charac-teristic should be horizontal, i.e. system fre-quency is exactly constant at every KW load. In practice, most of the AE governor on ship exhibit a droop of up to 5% so that the genera-tor can be run in parallel with other generator.

Effect of kVAr load on generator• When there is kVAR loading, there is no

power demand on the prime mover. The stator current produces a rotating magnetic field but this does not exert magnetic torque on the rotor.

• The stator field is opposite to the rotor field resulting in a reduced flux or reduced voltage.

• The AVR responds to the fall of voltage and

increases the excitation current to the rotor until voltage is back to the normal.

Governor and automatic voltage regulator to control KW and KVAr load on generator• The speed of the prime mover determines

the frequency of the voltage• The excitation in the rotor is adjusted to

maintain correct value of voltage at the gen-erator terminals.

• Changes of electrical load effects both fre-quency and voltage.

• To keep the frequency constant when the load (KW) changes, speed governor is fitted to the prime mover.

• To keep the voltage constant when the load (KVAr) changes, automatic voltage regula-tor (AVR) is fitted to the generator.

Parallel operation of AC generators: This requires both synchronizing and load sharing procedures. Many systems have automatic computer-based power management system.

Load sharing: After the incoming generator is synchronized, it will have to provide AC power KW & KVAr. To achieve it, governor settings are adjusted for KW and AVR settings for exci-tation are adjusted for KVAr load sharing.

KW Load sharing• After synchronizing, Gen 1 is still supplying

all the load KW while Gen 2 supplies zero KW, and both are in synchronizing mode. That means frequency produced by each gen is same (60 Hz). This situation can be depicted graphically as in Fig. A.

• KW of gen are measured A to B and Gen 2 are measured B to A, both geny’s are pro-ducing 60 Hz. Gen 1 is supplying 100% of the load KW and Gen 2 is supplying 0 KW.

• Now to share a load in KW by Gen. 2, we need to adjust its speed trimmer to increase set point of the governor. As shown in Fig. B.

This results in Gen 2 taking load and Gen 1 losing load. A problem is increase in system frequency. To overcome this, speed trimmer setting of Gen 1 is reduced as shown in Fig. C.

This lowers the characteristic of Gen 1 and al-lowing Gen 2 to take up more of the load and bring the frequency back to 60 Hz. Load bal-ancing is monitored on the KW meters of each

machine, i.e. fuel consumption of both Gen will change according to shared load in KW.

Stability: If two generators are to share load, the governor droop is necessary to do the sta-ble synchronizing. If characteristics are flat isochronous, then system accuracy is good because frequency stays constant as KW load changes but alternator can’t be run parallel. With flat characteristics, the load swings from one alternator to the other because these are no definite crossing point. The governor droop is compromised between accuracy and stabil-ity but the frequency will change slightly as KW load Changes.

KVAr load sharingThis is activated automatically by the AVR units which adjust the excitation after synchronizing the correct voltage. As with the governor, the AVR requires droop for stable parallel opera-tion to keep the system voltage constant.

Governor characteristics

Opposition of starter field and rotor field resulting in reduction of flux and decreased voltage

Fig. A. After synchronizing Gen. 2

Fig. B. After increasing Governor setting of Gen 2

Fig. C. After reducing governor setting of Gen 1

when droop is large frequency changes with KW load but generators are stable in parallel

Effect of Power Factor on Generator Operations (Part II)

Mr. Gautam Chatterjee IAS, Director - Gen-eral of Shipping called upon SIMS to pro-vide the leadership to all other maritime training institutes in India to raise the standards in the country. He also stressed that India should turn the present economic downturn as an opportunity by occupying the seat of prominence as producing the best seafarers globally.

Mr. Chatterjee, who has taken over his new role just two months back, visited SIMS, Lonavala campus on 15th December 2012 and spent couple of hours in various workshops and labs and interacting with the faculty and the staff.

SIMS is a Role Model for Maritime Institutes in IndiaDirector General of shipping lauds

Addressing the cadets in the auditorium at the end of the tour and the guard of honour ac-corded to him, Mr. Chatterjee admired the vari-ous teaching methods and aids employed in the campus to train the cadets. He pointed out that the interactive mode of learning through case studies as in SIMS is the practice in the best training institutions across the world in all fields. “We should standardize case stud-ies and have this across the board so that the best practices which are followed in institutions like yours, get emulated by other training insti-tutions, so that we can bring up the quality of cadets across the board from all other training institutions,” he added.

He also highly appreciated the method of blended learning which is both electronic and interactive mode of learning embedded in the cadets’ training curriculum. He said he would take it up for introducing to the other maritime institutions as well.

Mr. Chartterjee pointed out that in spite of hav-ing a huge coastline, India is not known as a ship building or owning but rather traditionally, a seafaring nation producing about 10% of the world’s seafaring officers. However, dur-ing the last couple of years, the number has dwindled. “We must work on our strength to raise the numbers by raising our standards,”

CAMPUS NEWSSAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 2013

Mr. Gautam Chatterjee IAS, Director General of Shipping was given a guard of honor at the campus parade square

The chief guest meeting the SIMS faculty

Mr. Chatterjee was shown the blended learning software at the computer lab

Touring the Campus Workshop

Mr. Chatterjee was given a live demonstration of the Main Engine Manoueving System

Touring the Ship-In-Campus

he stressed.

He assured that DGS will work on ironing out any difficulties towards it and called upon SIMS to provide the leadership by sharing best prac-tices and raising the standards of the other training institutes.

During his speech to the cadets, Mr. Chatter-jee also highlighted the importance of continual learning and that “the day anyone of us thinks that we are good enough, that is the day we start to degrade apart from human.” He shared the secret behind his own success - maintain-ing the right attitude of wanting to learn - an approach he has followed diligently in his 34 years career. He advised the cadets never to stop learning any time in their life.

CAMPUS NEWS SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 14

Mr. Viswanathan (left), Princpal, SIMS Lonavala leading Mr. Chatterjee (right) through the campus.

Mr. Gautam Chatterjee during his address to the cadets

Mr. Viswanathan (left) presenting a token of appreciation to Mr. Chatterjee (right)

Mr. Chatterjee writing his impressions on the visitor’s book

Chief Guest inspecting the parade

On top of the Ship-In-Campus: Mr. Chatterjee enjoyed a picturesque view of the campus and the surrounding greenery and hill tops

CASE STUDYSAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 2015

1. What was the primary cause for the coupling to break while dis-mantling?

2. What was the root cause of the cou-pling to crack while dismantling?

3. How can such mistakes be pre-vented from happening?

From the details provided and your knowledge about the feed pumps, please provide answers to the following regarding this case study:

Based on the positive number of feedback and responses from our readers on the previous case study, here’s a compilation of the answers received:

Damage to Motor Coupling

Responses for Boiler Feed Pump Bearing Failure: Issue 19 (Oct 2012)

S.Viswanathan, PrincipalSIMS, Lonavala

* We invite responses from our learned readers as to the causes and lessons learnt through this case study. Please send your responses to samundraspirit@samundra.com.

Planned maintenance (PM) carried out on board keeps ships in good condition at all times, with the added benefit of depend-ability and efficiency of operation. Ship staff must realize that machinery overhaul done correctly goes a long way in ensur-ing continuous efficient and profitable operation. Planned maintenance does not only mean scheduling the overhaul of equipment; safety precautions, proper planning for arranging anticipated spare parts, proper tools, consumables, lifting gear, manpower etc. are required in addi-tion to the maintenance planned.

This incident of damage to the fresh water pump motor coupling took place when the au-thor was sailing as chief engineer on a crude tanker. The vessel was at sea and the PMS routine on Domestic Fresh Water system was undertaken by the second engineer (2/E) and the electrical officer (E/O).The second engi-neer dismantled the fresh water pump. Si-multaneously, E/O started his routine on the motor. After trying to pull out the coupling by various means, E/O brought the broken cou-pling to show to the chief engineer.

Events that led to the incident:E/O had taken the motor adrift from the foun-dation and taken it to the workshop to dis-

1. What is the primary cause for a ball bearing in service to fail?• Lack of lubricating oil supply.

2. What is the purpose of an oil flinger in the bearing assembly?• To supply throw oil on to the bearings.

3. What is the root cause of the bearing failure for the second time in a short period of service in this case?• The thumb rule for any overhauling

mantle. He first tried to pull out the coupling with a puller with two prongs. It kept slipping. He tried to pull it out with a bigger puller with three prongs, but without success. Finally, he approached 2/E to obtain a hydraulic puller. While trying to dismantle the coupling with the hydraulic puller, he heard a snap-ping sound. To his utter dismay, he found the motor coupling broken in to halves. As soon as he saw the two broken pieces of the coupling, he realized his mistake, however it was too late.

Investigation: When the broken pieces were scrutinised by the chief engineer, it was very clear that the coupling had broken very recently, as the broken surfaces were shining without any fretting of the surfaces.

Since it was made of cast iron and no spare was available on board, it was welded by pre-heating and controlled cooling. Fortu-nately, the coupling was small enough for the repair to be completed successfully.

Extent of damage: 1. A good and fit coupling was damaged.2. Unnecessary and additional work was in-

curred by the ship’s engineers.

operation is referring to the manual for understanding of the correct working procedures of overhauling, assembly of the parts and working diagrams. Ship staff failed to refer the manual prior undertaking the job.

• Job planning for the efficient execu-tion of the job is a must for any main-tenance work, whether it is scheduled or unscheduled. In this case, even in the presence of a senior officer, the operation was not carried out well.

• Marking of the machinery compo-nents before disassembling is a regular practice for getting a right reference and will benefit while as-sembling. No marking was being made prior to removing the lube oil splashing flinger.

• Professional approach towards job found missing. Fitting of bearings without flinger for the second time reveals the lack of knowledge and application.

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5. Uncharged elementary particle6. Inventor of the electric light bulb7. The kind of electricity you create by rubbing a balloon on your head11. The electrical officer cannot work without this12. Unit of electrical power, named after the Scottish inventor of the steam engine13. Opposition to the passage of an electric current16. It transmits electricity, like copper17. Complete path of an electric current including the source of electric energy18. You try to match it while tuning into a radio station19. Rubber is a good22. This effect of an electric current is shown by a kettle23. Elementary particle consisting of a charge of negative electricity25. Electrical flow through a conductor26. When its handle is in the mid position, it tells you something has gone wrong27. Portable source of electricity

Across

Down1. Device for making, breaking, or changing the connections in an electrical circuit2. a rotating machine that transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy3. A device which changes a.c. to d.c4. Electrical charge with more protons than electrons8. Electric potential or potential difference9. We stand on it10. Force acting on particles of matter, tending to draw them together14. Elementary particle that carries a positive charge15. Melts when too large a current flows17. Definite quantity of electricity20. Flash produced by a discharge of atmospheric electricity21. Unit of electrical resistance24. The current travels by this bus

Answers:Across: 5. NEUTRON 6. EDISON 7. STATIC 11. MULTIMETER 12.WATT 13. RESISTANCE 16. CONDUCTOR 17. CIRCUIT. 18. IMPEDENCE 19. INSULATOR 22. HEATING 23. ELECTRON 25 CURRENT 26. MCCB 27. BATTERY

Down: 1 SWITCH 2. MOTOR 3. RECTIFIER 4. POSITIVE 8. VOLTAGE 9. GROUND 10. ATTRACTION 14. PROTON 15. FUSE 17. CHARGE 20. LIGHTNING 21. OHM 24. BUSBAR

Crossword Puzzle

SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 16CADETS’ DIARY

Inert Gas Systems (IGS) are fitted on board oil tankers for safe cargo operation. The system is comprised of inert gas fans, valves, pipelines, scrubber and safety de-vices such as deck seal, pressure vacuum breaker, alarms and trips. The various components in the system are maintained, checked and monitored regularly for opti-mum performance at all times.

One of the critical maintenance activities is to keep the inert gas fan impeller clean off carbon and soot deposits. In this article, the procedure of water washing the fans after a period of us-age is dealt with.

Water washing facility:Both the fans are provided with cleaning noz-zles (a pair) diametrically opposite to each other. The nozzles are provided with hoses and a snap on coupling to connect to hot wa-ter supply from the engine room. The fans are also provided with drainage at the casing bot-tom with a cock.

Need for washing the fan impeller: The fan pumps the inert gas from the scrubber outlet to the deck. Though the scrubber cleans the gas to a very large extent, due to various factors after prolonged usage, the fan impeller is deposited with a fine coating of carbon and soot. This deposit not only reduces the effi-ciency of the fan, but also increases the motor load and causes vibration. (This is the reason the fan suction and discharge sides are fitted with rubber bellows, to prevent transmission of vibration).

Washing procedure: When the supply of IG to deck is not required anymore (duty officer conveys the message), the fan in use must be washed with hot fresh water before stoppage. Following steps are taken in sequence:1. Open fan casing drain to ensure drain is

clear. One can feel the gas issuing through the drain. (Never wash the fan impeller with the drain choked)

2. Keep the drain open.3. The hot water connection from the engine

room is let out until hot water really issued out into the drain.

4. The fan discharge valve is shut and the fan is switched off and locked. (Never wash the fan impeller with the fan running on power).

5. The two nozzles provided opposite to each other in the fan casing will keep the fan ro-tating slowly, by reaction force of the water

jet. If the fan stops, rotate the shaft by hand.

6. Observe the colour of the water at the drain. Initially it will be black and will be-come lighter after few minutes. Wait until the water in the drain is clear.

7. Close the hot water supply and remove the flexible pipes.

8. Leave the drain open for a further 10 min-utes to ensure fan is dry.

9. Shut the fan suction valve.

Checks during washing:1. It is very important to ensure that the fan

is not running on power. The motor, fan, coupling and bearings are designed for pumping inert gas and not water.

2. While washing, if the fan starts vibrating, stop the water washing and restart by opening the hot water supply slowly. If the fan still vibrates, the fan impeller has to be cleaned manually to remove the hard deposits.

3. The water used for washing must be hot enough to soften the deposits and loosen them from the impeller surface.

4. Note the difference in the current drawn by the motor when it is re-started next time. This will indicate the effectiveness of water washing.

Build- up of carbon and soot deposits will in-crease the load on motor and shafting. This can result in damage to the motor, coupling and bearings. A simple observation for vibra-tion on the inert gas fan deck will indicate the extent of fouling of the fan impeller.

Water Washing of Inert Gas Fans S.Viswanathan

PrincipalSIMS, Lonavala

KNOWLEDGESAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 2017

Cdt. Sachin Loyed Castelino GME-13

SIMS, Lonavala(Photograph A, B & C)

Cdt. Kalaimani Karunanidhi GME-13

SIMS, Lonavala (Photograph D & E)

Meet the Karate KaGME Cdt. Danesh Kersi Khambata is a practitioner (Ka) of “Karate” who ex-plains the intricacies of this Indian ori-gin martial art which has returned to its homeland centuries after it was brought to China and then spread out to various countries in the far east, including Japan and Korea.

At the end of the 5th century, a Buddhist monk, Bodhidarma, travelled to China from India to teach at the Shaolin Monastery the art of yoga and its various breathing tech-niques. As their religion prohibited the use of weapons, the monks had to rely on the method of empty-handed fighting.

The martial art of self-defence that he taught using only hand and body and without any firearm over the centuries had been taught in the Buddhist monasteries - it was known as “Karate”.

There is a common misconception that ka-rate means the art of breaking bricks and boards. In reality, these techniques are just means of demonstrating the power of a ka-rate blow. The true essence of karate lies in self-defense, self-discipline and a healthy sportsman spirit. There are various styles of Karate, the one I specialize in is Goju-Ryu (translated as the hard and soft way). It is a mix of Okinawan Te (hard) and Shaolin Kung Fu (soft) with regard to the white crane style.

The etymology of the word Karate, in fact, is Kara: (Empty/free like air/infinite like the sky) and Te: (Hands). It is like a quest that begins with physical training and ends with the spirit (“Ki”). It consists of stretching, body condi-tioning, body shifting, blocking, punching, kicking, throwing and meditation techniques. It makes the entire body more vigilant and develops self-control and presence of mind that helps you to handle any situation with calmness and confidence.

Every Karate Ka is trained in three different techniques:1. Kihon (Basics): Block-

ing, punching and kicking techniques, etc.

2. Kata: It is a pattern of movements which

Cdt. Danesh Kersi KhambataGME-14SIMS, Lonavala

consists of a series of logical and practi-cal attacking and blocking techniques which can be practiced alone without a partner. Karate, is a self-defense art and as such there is no first attack, i.e. every kata begins with a defensive movement. A few of the katas are Gekisai Dai, Sanchin, Saifa, Seiunchin, Shisochin, Sanseiru, Sepai, Kururunfa, Seisan, Suparinpei, Tensho etc.

3. Kobu-Do (weaponry): though Karate es-sentially involves the use of the body as a primary weapon, when the commoners of China (then Okinawan) were oppressed by the Japanese warlords, they took up natural weapons like the Bo (a walking stick) to combat the then feared Samurai swords. A few of the weapons used are:• Bo: a walking stick.• Sai: a trishul type instrument used

primarily for digging soil and planting seeds.

• Kama: a rice harvesting sickle.• Nunchaku: instrument used for pound-

ing grains.4. Kumite (sparring): Competitions are held

in the Dojo (Karate class), controlled by referee and an arbitrator. Marks are awarded on the basis of power, balance, speed and Kiai (yell of spirit). The compet-itor who is awarded three Ippons (marks) is declared the winner. The average bout lasts for three minutes.

Every Karate Ka has to follow certain Reigi (manners). Whenever the Karate Ka enters the Dojo, he/she shall bow down and say “Onegai Shimasu” (i.e. “please teach me”) as a mark of respect to the sensei (teacher). A ritual is performed before every class begins and after every class ends which includes:• Shomen ni rei – Bow in front.• Sensei ni rei – Bow towards the sensei.• Otagani rei – Bow towards every-

one.

The bows inculcate a sense of equality and

mutual respect. Whenev-er the Karate Ka leaves the

Dojo, he/she shall bow down and say “Shitureshimasu” (i.e. “ex-

cuse me”).

Karate is not only a combat tech-nique; it is a way of life. It imbibes within you the core value of self-

discipline. Karate, being a self-defense art, also inculcates within the student respect towards non-violence and teaches the student that war is the ultimate enemy. This forms the true essence of karate!

SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20CADETS’ DIARYARTS

B

A

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E

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18

The Phenomenal Power of the Sun Put to use at SIMS, Lonavala

self-serving politicians trying to secure their nations non-renewable energy requirements. Mind you, we will have more of these when the last frontiers - Arctic and the Antarctic - open up for exploitation. This will be a good recipe for environmental disaster - nature can well tol-erate misuse but when abused hits back with vengeance. The prospects of fiction turning into facts are real - to get some idea, watch the movie ‘Perfect Storm’. Fiction aside, a trailer version was experienced few years ago with the super storm ‘Katrina’ hitting the coast of Florida and the mayhem that ensued.

Now study some startling statistics - every hour, our planet receives enough solar energy to satisfy its needs for the entire year. There is no other source of energy which has such guaranteed assurance. From times, immemo-rial sun has risen and set, we just have to har-ness it. Wind energy, which is a result of solar energy is random but nevertheless abundantly available for harnessing. Nations have taken baby steps to use these non-renewable ener-gies but with skewed economics and unwar-ranted subsidies, the ‘killer instinct’ to find bet-ter harnessing technologies is missing. There are whispered accusations that all efforts to find better technologies are being stymied by oil majors who see a threat to their business. So this rigmarole continues and someday, we will all pay.

Here at Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies we believe that the time to act is now and keep-ing that in mind, we have already installed a

Our world is fast depleting all the easily available natural resources at a very fast pace. What took mother earth millions of years to create has been used within a span of last 150 odd years - billions of dinosaurs died, vast tracts of vegetation underwent compression and decay to provide us with this natural wealth of fossil fuels. Mankind in its greed, far beyond its normal need is gobbling up non-renewable fossil fuels at an alarming rate without leaving a thought for future generations. If we continue down this path, then we are sure that we will all be driving to our work place but generations down the line will be left with no alternative but to walk to their destination.

However, our good Lord, in His wisdom has always looked after us and when called upon has shown us a way out of this morass. We have infinite sources of energy readily avail-able in form of solar and wind - the holy grail lies in finding the techniques to harness them efficiently. Relatively clean and well-distribut-ed, these renewable sources are not prone to energy cartels and politicking - as a matter of fact, securing of energy interests of western nations have dictated their foreign policies and are the very reason for today’s world woes.

The turmoil in Afghanistan, the recent up-heaval in Middle East popularly dubbed

Arab spring, African anarchy and turf wars over territorial wa-

ters all have their genesis in these greedy and

solar power pack of 90 KW in our campus and solar water heating flat plate collectors which provide hot water for domestic use.

Solar photovoltaic system installed at SIMSThe solar power system installed at SIMS is trouble-free, long-lasting and cost-effective power solution. With a one time investment, solar power packs send your non-availability of grid power, unpredictable power cuts and rising electricity bills worries packing. What’s more, they are eco-friendly too!

The list of major components used in the sys-tem installed at SIMS are listed below:• Solar Modules: The solar modules are the

most expensive and important component of the solar power system. The solar ra-diation falling on the modules is converted into DC energy by photovoltaic principle. Technical data of solar PV module is given below:

Solar module type Multicrystalline silicon cell module

Single module rated power (nominal)

125 Wp @standard test condition

Single module voltage nominal

20 VDC

Single module current @ max power

4.7 ADC

CADETS’ DIARYSAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 2019

• Battery Bank: Battery Bank is used to store the electrical energy produced by the solar module during daytime and to provide power at night and other period of low or zero sunlight. The technical data of battery bank is shown below:

Type Lead acid flooded electrolyte tubular plate battery

Single battery voltage nominal

2 VDC

Single battery capacity nominal

1500 Ah @ C120 or 1000Ah @ C10

Battery autonomy considered for system sizing

3 days including 2 no sunshine days

• Junction Box: Depending on the system requirement, Array Junction Box (AJB) or Sub Main Junction Box (SMJB) or Main Junction Box (MJB) shall be used to con-nect the solar module strings in parallel at one common place.

• Power Conditioning Unit (PCU): PCU is a common cubicle consisting of solar charge controller, inverter and AC battery charger. PCU does the function of controlling the battery charge and discharge level and con-verting DC energy to AC energy. The PCU installed at SIMS has a hybrid power man-agement mode i.e. if solar charging is inad-equate when the battery voltage falls below the pre-set level (battery low condition), the PCU automatically cuts off the battery bank from the load and activates the AC mains or diesel generator power source to feed the loads directly.

System block diagram (Solar AC hybrid power pack)

The solar radiation falling on the solar photo-voltaic modules is converted into electricity by photovoltaic principle. The generated current (array current) is used to charge the battery bank. This is accomplished by PCU.The en-ergy generated shall be maximum when the solar insolation is maximum and vice-versa. The required voltage for charging the battery is obtained for connecting the modules in se-ries called as “solar string”. Such strings are connected in parallel through array junction boxes and main junction boxes called “solar array”. Solar modules are mounted on module mounting structure which has facility to ad-just the tilt angle for maximum array energy utilization. As SIMS is located in the northern hemisphere of the earth, a south facing shad-ow-free area is made available to the solar modules for maximum array energy utilization. The battery bank shall be discharged up to 80% of depth of discharge (DOD).

Basic solar water heating system installed at SIMS

Solar radiation falling on the collectors pass-es through the glazing and is absorbed by the absorber consisting of fins, raisers and headers. A special selective coating on the absorber prevents escape of heat back to the environment. Water contained in the raisers and headers absorbs the heat from the fins, rises and becomes less dense than the water in the storage tank. On the principle of THER-MOSYPHON, it starts rising through the collec-tor and starts entering the top of the hot water tank. Simultaneously, cold water from the tank descends to the bottom header of the collector, gets heated up in the absorber

and rises back to the hot water tank and the cycle repeats. The movement of heated water from the collector to the storage tank which placed above the collectors is due to the dif-ference of density only. There are no moving parts in the system and hence, the system reli-ability is very high. The water retains its heat for long time as the hot water storage tank is insulated to prevent significant heat loss. The sacrificial anode provided in the hot water storage tank protects the system against gal-vanic corrosion.

SIMS has gone the extra mile to implement such a vast solar power project in the campus in times when conventional electric power to educational facilities is available at compara-tively cheap rate. This speaks a lot about the commitment of the management of this insti-tute towards their goal of being a self-reliant green campus and inculcates a responsibility of safeguarding the environment in each and every cadet which of course is an essential re-quirement to be a future seafarer.

Summing up, we have a question for you as the reader of this article. How many of our homes have solar heaters, lights? Even though there are promises of government sub-sidies for the same.

Where has mankind gone horribly wrong? It’s still not too late to make amendments. What is required is a commitment to rise above our greed and self-serving interests so that each one of us can be catered for his needs. Look no further because answers for our energy requirements lie in our own backyard and in our skies. We need to step back and seriously give a thought as mankind is fast approaching an energy precipice. We sincerely pray that good sense prevails.

Cdt. Danesh Kersi Khambata (left)Cdt. Satya Phaneendra (right)GME-14SIMS, Lonavala

SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 20CADETS’ DIARY

Solar panel

Input

KM

Output

Solar charger

Battery bank

Solar photovoltaic system

Bi-directionalinverter

2

KM 1

Solar radiation(direct & diffuse)

Cushion supports &seats for glassTransparent cover

Absorber

Insulation

Heat transport fluid (in tubes)

Solution through typical flat plate collector

law firm. They were joined by longtime associ-ates of ESM internal experts.

Mr. Sanjeev Panicker from Germanischer Lloyd made an informative presentation about the new Marpol Annex VI regulations and Emission Control Area (ECA) requirements. An overview and timeline for maritime envi-ronmental regulations highlighted the need for compliance on the said policies. Mr. Panicker provided compelling statistics on the impacts of emission from the shipping sector on climate changes, social welfare and costs. He conclud-ed by making a mention on the ‘future outlook for a sustainable “greener shipping.”

Captain Les Hesketh from UK P&I club en-gaged the next two sessions with an overview

“Back to basics - our challenge and strategy”, the two-day seminar for the ESM senior offic-ers was conducted at SIMS, Lonavala campus on 28th November, 2012. The seniors re-em-phasised the strong determination of the teams on board and ashore to take ESM to the next level of success through focus on fundamen-tals and accountability.

During her brisk opening address, Director, HR and Crew Ms. Sikha Singh aptly illustrated that going back to fundamentals will be ESM’s fo-cus area to ensure that operations on board are conducted safely and smoothly.

More to drive home the point, she pointed out that ESM has had all along focused on 1) qual-ity and 2) a single nationality (Indian) seafarers

on board ships. Accordingly, it made significant investment in establishing training facilities to provide relevant and practical training to our seafarers. These were the two significant ar-eas, which convinced a prestigious client like BP in 2002 about the inherent potential in then four–year-old ESM to entrust their ships for management. She further emphasized the need to continue upholding the fundamental values like accountability, integrity and hon-esty, which are some of the core values clients associate ESM with.

Joining Ms. Sikha to reiterate the importance of basics on vessel operations were maritime experts, Mr. Sanjeev Panicker from Germa-nischer Lloyd, Captain Les Hesketh from UK P&I club, Mr. Andrew Grey from Hill Dickinson

ESM Officers’ Seminar 2012Back to Basics: Importance of Fundamentals

CAMPUS NEWSSAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 2021

Mr. Andrew Grey from Hill Dickinson law firm

Captain Arvind Moreshwar Karandikar, General Manager, ESM covered vari-ous issues on environment compliance

The bi-annual officer’s seminar provides both senior officers and upcoming seafarers a unique learning experience brought up by external maritime experts and ESM internal experts.

Gaurav Dwivedi, Fleet Manager, ESM gave a technical presentation on “Fuel Management”

Mr. Shart Kumar Rao, Chief Officer, ESM presenting the safety moment

Captain Ashish Sood presenting a recap of the previous day’s proceedings

Captain Les Hesketh from UK P&I club

Mr. Sanjeev Panicker from Germanischer Lloyd

of operational risk management followed by a workshop on using the “Bow Tie” risk man-agement tool. Through a video about the risk management technique, he stressed upon Hazards-Incidents-Threats and consequenc-es. The formula for risk was put forward as frequency multiplied by the consequence. He further reiterated the one-liner “No room for risk” and emphasized on the importance of risk mitigation. On the basis of risk management, Captain Hesketh also put forth a simplified risk assessment tool based on “Preventive control – Hazard and Recovery measures.”

He also dealt with the topic of “Typical Con-trols that Fail” by bringing in the Swiss Cheese Model – which says that holes in barriers are always there and it is imperative to strengthen

these barriers or threat controls to prevent the incident from occurring. However, in case the incident did take place, it would also be neces-sary to have the suitable recovery measures well in place to mitigate the risks and reduce the consequences. With the knowledge about the barriers and recovery measures, anyone undertaking a work will be better prepared.

Mr. Andrew Grey from Hill Dickinson law firm took up a very compelling topic - “Dealing with the aftermath of a marine casualty. His pres-entation is reported in a separate article in this issue of Samundra Spirit on page 11.

A highlight of the seminar was the felicitation of the officers who had completed over 10 years of continuous sailing with the company. Each was presented with an elegant wrist watch as a

token of appreciation for their devoted service to the company.

An interactive session between the officers and the cadets of SIMS, Lonavala held on the second day of the seminar brought the cadets closer to their future seniors and mentors on board. In a frank and open discussion, the sail-ing officers pointed out the shortcomings that they have noticed in the cadets while the ca-dets came out with their concerns and doubts regarding their future life on board.

A knockout volleyball tournament among five teams of the sailing and a sixth one formed by the shore staff ended in the former clinch-ing the championship trophy. They in return of course were later subdued by a cadet team in a friendly match!

CAMPUS NEWS SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 22

Officers’ seminar 2012, shore and sail staffs

Captain Ashish Sood presenting a recap of the previous day’s proceedings

Senior seafarers addressed the concerns of the cadets during an interactive session

Cadets brought out their doubts regarding their future life on board

Shore staff clinched the volleyball championship trophy

Six teams of shore and sailing staff played out in the knock-out volleyball tournament

The workshops encouraged active participations for group discussions

SIMS Ex-cadets Joined ESM-Managed Fleet During the Last Quarter

4E Nikhil PareekGME-07

4E Damanjot SinghGME-08

4E Amit SainiGME-09

4E Ramprasad YadavGME-08

4E Ravi Kumar ChinnaduraiGME-07

3O Arun Ansil DNS-07

4E Jerin Jose GME-07

4E Antony PaulGME-09

3O Ashish KoshyariDNS-07

4E Hemantkumar H MeenaGME-08

4E Muthusamy VeerabadranGME-08

3O Mukesh Kumar DNS-06

3O Ankit Sharma DNS-03

3O Ajay Garg DNS-06

3O Pramoj MohanDNS-07

4E Arun KuruvillaGME-08

3O Eby VargheseDNS-06

3O Amit Kumar SinghDNS-06

3O Anurag ShuklaDNS-05

3O Ajay Kumar JannyDNS-05

4E Vishal SharmaGME-08

4E Shishir MishraGME-09

4E Jeshuran PonrajGME-08

SIMS welcomed the visit of Koyo Line Ltd President Mr. Kazunari Yamawaki and MMSL Pte Ltd President Mr. Ko-suke Takechi who had specially flown into India to have a first-hand experi-ence of SIMS, Mumbai and Lonavala facilities on 27 November 2012. They were accompanied by Managing Di-rector of ESM and Trustee of SIMS, Mr. B.S. Teeka who took the guests around the facilities and explained the role played by SIMS in training the present and future sailing staff of ESM.

The visitors were unequivocal in express-ing their highest compliments in praising not only the world-class facilities but also the training methods undertaken by SIMS for the cadets at SIMS,Lonavala.

“The most impressive were the grand design and the concept (of the campus)

CAMPUS NEWSSAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 23

Maritime Professionals From Japan Praise SIMS, Lonavala“Impressive,Surpassed Expectation”

(from left to right) Mr.Kosuke Takechi, President, MMSL Pte Ltd, Mr. B.S. Teeka, Managing Director, ESM, Mr. Viswanathan, Principal, SIMS, Mr.Kazunari Yamawaki, President, M/S Koyo Line Ltd and Mr.Shugo Matsunaga, Superintendent, Marine & Technical Division, M/S Koyo Line Ltd outside the administration building.

Mr. Yamawaki (left) touring the Ship-in-Campus

Mr. Yamawaki (right) and Mr. Matsunaga (middle) at the campus workshop

4E Mohit ShuklaGME-08

4E Vikram VijayaGME-08

4E Pritesh P KambleGME-08

4E Siddharth SharmaGME-08

4E Manas SinghGME-07

3O Shrikant Jhajharia DNS-07

3O Dev Anshu Joshi DNS-05

3O Neeraj Paul DNS-07

4E Debjeet BarmanGME-07

4E Ashwani Chandel GME-07

4E Jasmeet SinghGME-08

3O Harkesh Chauhan DNS-06

4E Rohit SharmaGME-07

3O Umesh Metere DNS-07

4E Sandeep KumarGME-08

4E Panneer SelvamGME-08

4E Ashwani RaikwarGME-09

4E Pradeep K YadavGME-06

3O Naveen Singh DNS-07

3O Pradeep SinghDNS-07

3O Atul K MishraDNS-06

4E Aditya BaliGME-06

4E Vishal SharmaGME-08

4E Jeshuran PonrajGME-08

- an asset to ESM and the marine indus-try of India,” said Mr Yamawaki. He added that observing the campus was a wonder-ful learning experience for him.

Mr Takechi, on the other hand expressed that what they saw was more than what they expected from the training institute. “Now I understand how ESM is success-ful in the shipping field,” he added further.

After the safety briefing, Mr B.S. Teeka, personally toured Mr Yamawaki and Mr Takechi around the campus facilities, in-cluding the fire mock-up, ship-in campus, workshop area, maritime science centre, classrooms, academic buildings, audito-rium, amphitheatre and student’s hostel.

The visitors were also shown to one of the institute’s unique prides - the blended learning software which was developed in-house and used for training the cadets at SIMS Lonavala exclusively. The soft-ware is aimed at teaching complicated subjects into simple, easily-comprehensi-ble and fun modules with the use of audio-visual media.

The Koyo Line and MMSL are reputed shipping organizations and business partners of ESM involved in ship opera-tion, management and ownership having based in Japan and Singapore, respec-tively.

CAMPUS NEWS SAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 20 24

At the freefall lifeboat on the Ship-in-Campus

Mr. Yamawaki (second from left) lauded the grand design and concept of the campus

Inside the fire-fighting training facility

(from left to right) Mr. Shugo Matsunaga, Mr. Kazunari Yamawaki and Mr. Viswanathan

The delegates were given a demonstration on how freefall lifeboat mock-up works at the workshop

CAMPUS NEWSSAMUNDRA SPIRIT JAN 2013 ISSUE 2025

The final of inter-house cross country cham-pionship was flagged off on 29th September 2012 at SIMS, Lonavala campus. The event witnessed huge fanfare and participation, with 10 cadets from each house stretching their endurance limits to the extremes to emerge the best in the 6 km run.

Cadet Tadak Nalo from B tech 02 overcame the stiff challenges and emerged as the victor, for the second time in a row. Cadet Avinash Awasthi from DNS 15 and Cadet Pankaj Dangi from DNS 14 secured the second and third po-sitions, respectively. Incidentally, all three posi-tions went to Godavari house which went on to win the overall championship as well.

The cadets’ event was followed by mini cross country race for the staff which again saw very spirited participation from SIMS Lonavala em-ployees. The performances exceeded the ex-pectations, with Mr. Rakesh Kumar emerging victorious to the great cheer from the cadets. Mr. Sachin Gaikwad and Lt. Col. Sharat Laskar (retd) put up a stiff challenge and finished the race in second and third positions, respectively.

The 1.5 km walking competition came alive with the participation of gent staff over 45 years of age and the very energetic lady staff. Capt. V. R. Krishnan finished with a flourish followed by Mr. P. V. Dinesan and Ms. Doreen D’Souza in quick succession.

Cadet Tadak Nalo from SIMS Lonavala made the institute proud by finishing first in the Lonavala Run organized on 1st De-cember 2012 by INS Shivaji in connection with the Navy Week.

The open category for 7 kms witnessed fierce competition from around 150 participants, in-cluding cadets from other maritime institutes in and around Pune. What makes the vic-tory even sweeter is the fact that cadet Nalo achieved it with a mile to spare, literally and figuratively.

Cadet Jitendar came fourth in the race, rein-forcing our commitment of highest level of physical fitness for our cadets.

Inter-house Cross Country Championship

SIMS Cadet Emerges Victorious in Navy Week Lonavala Run

A tough competition amongst the 40 runners as soon the race began

Godavari House won the overall championship

The proud winners with the SIMS faculty

Truly outstanding. Excellent Infrastructure, committed faculty and great leadership by K. Vishwanathan. You are clearly leaders in this field of Indian Maritime Institutes.

Would like you to join us (DGS & IMU) to bring up other maritime institutes to this standard. Keep up the outstanding work.

Mr. Gautam Chatterjee IASDirector General of Shipping

It was a great honour to be here today. I have learned and observed a lot of things. The most impressive things were the ‘grand design’ and ‘concept’ SIMS generated.

That is an asset of your group and marine industry of India. I wish your company’s growing in the future. Thanks again all of you.

Mr. Kazunari YamawakiPresident

M/S Koyo Line Ltd

Thank you very much principal for inviting me to inspect SIMS. It was a wonderful experience to meet up with all the professionals.

Thank you Mr. Teeka for setting a milestone for maritime studies. Thanks again. God bless you.

Mr. Zulfiqur HusainSenior Marine Surveyor (Training Standards)

Maritime and Port Authority Of Singapore (MPA)

Thank you for your hospitality. Facility is more than our expectation. Now I understand how ESM is successful in shipping field.

Mr. Kosuke TakechiPresident

M/S MMSL Pte Ltd

Thank you very much for showing the wonderful facilities and nice teachers and students. This is a really nice opportunity to realize how your system for education is advanced and well-updated.

We are expecting to work with your nice students in the futureMr. Shugo Matsunaga

Superintendent Marine & Technical DivisionM/S Koyo Line, Ltd

The finest training institute. Dedicated Dean and faculty. I wish them all the best

Capt. Vivek SinghICRA Ltd, Gurgaon

Visitors’ Comments Fourth Quarter, 2012